“From 10 a.m. on Monday morning, citizens of the two countries will be able to cross the Hungarian-Serbian border without restriction”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced in Röszke.

Following a meeting with Serbian Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović and President of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (VMSZ) István Pásztor, Mr. Szijjártó said Serbian citizens may enter Hungary without the need to enter quarantine, and Hungarian citizens can return from Serbia in a similar manner.

“The opening of the border provides an opportunity for families and communities living on either side of the border to once again meet, in addition to which is also contributes to enabling economic relations between the two countries to regain new momentum”, the Minister stated.

Mr. Szijjártó emphasised that thanks to the timely introduction of strict restrictive measures, the countries of Central Europe have been able to keep the spread of the virus under control. “The restriction of personal travel has also contributed to the success of preventive measures. The results are now enabling us to return to normality, while still giving priority to protecting health”, he explained.

The Minister also spoke about the fact that the Hungarian government has authorised the payment of 6 billion forints (EUR 17.1 million) in funding for 54 large and medium-sized projects within the framework of the Vojvodina Economic Development Program. He pointed out that the same major corporations are playing a role in the rebooting of both economies, citing as examples Hungarian energy company MOL and Hungary’s largest bank, OTP.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister declared that Serbia’s place is in Europe. “The community could gain a lot from the accession of Serbia. Serbia must be accepted among the members states of the European Union at the earliest opportunity”, he said.

Mr. Szijjártó declared that the border has only been opened to those who want to enter Hungary is a law-abiding manner. “Those who arrive illegally will continue to be prevented from doing so. Hungary is employing all possible instruments to prevent this”, he added.

The politician thanked István Pásztor for his major efforts to ensure that graduating schoolchildren from Vojvodina are able to enter Hungary to sit their examinations, to enable commuting for work purposes, and with relation to the renewed opening of the border. “This is proof of the fact that the Vojvodina Hungarians can count on the VMSZ, because the party is successfully representing their interests”, Mr. Szijjártó declared, adding that he trusts that this will continue to be the case in future.

Serbian Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović emphasised that the opening of the frontier is extremely important for everyone living on either side of the border.

The politician pointed out that on Friday the Serbian government had decided that travellers can enter Serbia without restriction, and without having to go into quarantine or provide a negative COVID-19 test, as they had been required to do during the past two months.

“There is continuous cooperation between Hungary and Serbia, and diplomatic relations between the two countries have never been so good”, she stated.

“The next step is the rebooting of the economy, and Hungarian enterprises are playing an important role in Serbia”, the Minister said, adding that she hopes Serbian enterprises will also be appearing in Hungary in future.

“Hungary’s support during the Euro-integration process is important to Serbia”, Ms. Joksimović emphasised, expressing her hope that new negotiation chapters in the EU accession process will be successfully opened before the end of this June.

István Pásztor said he is in a special position in being able to serve both his nation and his homeland at the same time. “In recent years, we have succeeded in creating an environment in which I can safely say this sentence”, the politician emphasised.

The VMSZ President said that in his opinion relations between Hungary and Serbia are at a historic high, of which the opening of the border is practical proof, and confirms the level of trust between the two countries.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade / MTI)